Poll: Biden approval falls to lowest level since April

US President Joe Biden’s popularity slipped to its lowest level since April, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed, raising concerns about the Democrat’s re-election bid next year.

The two-day opinion poll, which ended on Saturday, showed 39 per cent of respondents approved of Biden’s performance as president, matching April’s reading and down marginally from 40 per cent in October and 42 per cent in September. The poll had a margin of error of about three percentage points.

Biden is widely expected to face a November 2024 rematch with former President Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination. Other recent polls have pointed to a potentially close race between the two.

The share of poll respondents who rated “war and foreign conflicts” the No. 1 problem rose to eight per cent in November from four per cent in October, a sign of unease over a sharp escalation in the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.

It was the highest measure of concern about war since April 2022, when nine per cent of respondents cited it as their top concern during the early months of the Russia-Ukraine war.

A larger share – 20 per cent – said the economy was the top concern. By comparison, nine per ent cited crime and seven per cent cited the environment.

Biden’s public approval rating has held below 50 per cent since August 2021, and this month’s rating was close to the lowest levels of his presidency – 36 per cent – seen in mid-2022.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll gathered responses online from 1,019 adults, using a nationally representative sample.

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